Five Times Morro Trusted Wu
by DietCokeIsLife
Summary: And, the one time he didn't. Or, in other words, a story following the rise and fall of Morro throughout his childhood, centered around his relationship with Master Wu.
1. Rule Number One

**Hello, everybody! If you follow Broken Circle, then you know I'm a bit early for the Monday post, but I was super eager to get this out here!**

 **This is somewhat of a character study of Morro, following him throughout his life. I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

* * *

"Morro, we shouldn't be here!"

Morro sighed as he finally reached the top of the monastery's humongous staircase. Planting his hands on his hips, he turned back to face the twins, Greg and Craig. "And, why not?"

At only eight years of age, Morro certainly wasn't considered one of the "big kids." He mostly hung around Greg and Craig because they were seven and small for their age, so they were some of the few street rats he could boss around.

Not without a fair amount of whining though.

"Because!" Greg yelped, as if that answered his question. His eyes glued themselves to the ginormous gates of the monastery, as if searching for the slightest hint that they would open.

"The guy who lives here!" Craig continued for his brother, copying his twin's terrified expression as he gesticulated wildly. "He's like a karate master or something!"

"Yeah, I heard he's killed every kid he's ever met!" Greg added fearfully. "That's why no one lives here but him!"

Morro rolled his eyes. "Oh, puh- _lease_. Next you're going to tell me you believe in ghosts or something."

"Morro, he'll at least give us a good beating if he catches us," Craig whimpered, his entire body quaking with fear.

"He's not going to catch us," Morro reassured, heading over to the garbage cans clustered at the right of the gate. Greg and Craig obediently trailed after him, though not without throwing more wary glances at the gates. "Look, no one else bothers to climb all those stairs. That means no one's been through these cans yet! Instead of picking off the big kids' scraps, we'll eat like kings! Now, are you going to help me or not?"

Reluctantly, the pair of twins began sifting through their respective garbage cans. Morro picked through his own, keeping up a running commentary as he went.

"Tea leaves, tea leaves, tea leaves. Sheesh, how much tea can one guy drink?" He muttered, tossing the pieces of garbage that were one hundred percent inedible over his shoulder as he went. His stomach rumbled loudly, echoing his failure in finding any food to eat. "Eh, I got mostly junk in here. What about you guys?"

Silence.

"Guys?"

Morro looked up.

And, met the eyes of the owner of the monastery.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Greg and Craig already halfway down the steps, still sprinting and not slowing down.

 _Traitors_ , Morro thought bitterly. He was standing stock still, as if the man wouldn't see him if he didn't move. The conversation from earlier returned unbidden to the forefront of his mind, and his heart thudded in his chest. _Does he really kill kids…?_

Morro was just about to make a break for the stairs-

When the blonde man set a plate of food down on the ground, just by the monastery's gate.

Morro looked down at the plate of food, and his stomach mewled, yearning for the delectable shrimp that lounged so tantalizingly upon the plate. All he had eaten for the past two days was half an apple, and it was because of that that he had dared to make the mile long journey up the forbidden monastery's steps in the first place. There was even still steam rising from them…

But, the man was still standing there, watching him.

 _Rule number one. Trust no one_ , he reminded himself. He had made rules for himself to help him survive on the streets. He couldn't exactly remember all of them all the time, and he wasn't quite sure how many there actually were, but rule number one was always rule number one. Trust _no one_. He had seen too many kids lured in by the promise of hot meals and warm beds, only to disappear into shadowy hovels and never come back out. Or if they did, they were different. Broken, in a way, and Morro had survived too long to be broken.

But, he was so, so hungry…

Seeming to sense the reason behind his hesitation, the man backed up several steps, leaving the food on the ground, trying to signal to Morro that this was not a trap.

The orphan squinted at the man, trying to gauge his sincerity. He seemed nice enough, and Morro considered himself a pretty good judge of character…, but what _did_ he do in this monastery all day? He could be committing any number of atrocities inside, and no one down in the village would be any the wiser…

His stomach roared, snapping at him to make up his mind already.

Deciding to risk it, Morro dashed forward and grabbed the plate, quickly retreating a safe distance away from the monastery's doors in case the guy got it in his head to try anything. He didn't, only continued to watch the child with a mixture of curiosity and pity.

Not wanting to put himself in danger any longer than necessary, Morro stuffed the shrimp down his throat as fast as he could. His stomach groaned in appreciation even if he couldn't savor the taste of the warm, flaky, chewy, _absolutely delicious_ food.

All too soon, it was gone. He resisted the urge to lick the plate.

He gasped as he slammed the plate down, realizing he had forgotten all about the man watching him. He was probably sneaking up right behind, about to grab him and drag him inside those impossibly thick walls, where he would kill him or _worse_ -

But, the man hadn't moved. With the distraction of the food, he had every opportunity to do anything he wanted to Morro, especially if he was a karate master like Greg and Craig claimed, but he hadn't. His expression was more concerned than anything else.

Morro, just beginning to believe this man had just shown him kindness out of the goodness of his heart (something that was becoming increasingly scarce nowadays if the pennies he got from begging were anything to go off of), realized he should do… _something_ to express his gratitude.

Suddenly shy, he didn't want to speak lest his voice break this tentative balance they had struck during this silent exchange. Instead, he offered an awkward, half smile.

The man smiled back.

And that was that.

Morro left the plate on the ground and began the long descent down the staircase, a little bounce in his step that wasn't there before.

* * *

It was the next day, and Morro was thinking about going back.

He knew he shouldn't count on a stranger (that was rule number six or seven (or maybe eight)), and he also knew shouldn't push his luck by asking for more (rule… fifteen? Yeah, fifteen), but once again, the food situation wasn't looking too good and Morro was starving.

And, it had been a long time since anyone had smiled at him…

Despite Greg and Craig's warnings (the little jerks), Morro found himself climbing the monastery's steps once again.

Halfway up, he realized what a dumb idea it was.

 _It's a trap_ , his mind suggested. _He just wants you to let your guard down_.

He took another step. _Besides, even if it's not, is he just going to magically know you're out here?_

Another step. _Or, what, you're going to knock on the door? He gives you food and then you come back expecting more like you deserve it? Some nerve._

Another step. _I bet this is how he lured his last victims in_ …

Round and round and round.

By the time he had finally made up his mind to turn around, he was at the top of the steps- and his eyes bugged out of his head when he saw a plate of food waiting patiently at the foot of the gate, right where he'd left it yesterday.

The man had expected him to come back. Maybe… _hoped_ he would come back? He was nowhere in sight, so Morro didn't think it was a trap…

Still glancing about warily, he knelt down beside the food- chicken this time- and sniffed it. Not that he knew what poison smelled like, but it seemed like the right thing to do. It smelled fine- make that, _sooooo_ good- so he ate it, scarfing it down as fast as he'd eaten the shrimp the day before.

And, then he left, resolving never to come back.

* * *

He came back.

Every day, there was a plate of food waiting for him. No matter how many warnings went off in his head, no matter how many times he told himself that trusting a stranger like this was reckless and dangerous, no matter how many times he listed all of the other kids who made the same mistakes and paid dearly for them… Morro just couldn't resist a steady supply of food.

And, yeah, maybe he kind of liked going to the monastery. Sure, climbing the stairs was a pain, but he liked seeing the entire village laid out before him like a map when got so high up on the mountain.

(And, he liked how windy it was that high up. He always felt right at home in the wind; when it tickled his skin and brushed back his hair, it was almost like he could hear it whispering his name, _Morro, Morro, Morro_. He never told anyone, because they'd make fun of him, but sometimes he liked to believe that he didn't have parents because the wind had created him. He knew it was dumb, but sometimes he thought about it at night to help him fall asleep without getting any nightmares.)

This time was different, though.

This time, the man was waiting for him.

Morro hadn't seen him again since that first day, though he always knew he must have been nearby. But, there he was, sitting on the top step and waving at him like they were old friends.

Morro hesitated. There was still time to turn back…

But, there was a bowl of noodles sitting right there beside him…

And, besides, the man had had plenty of times to kidnap him if that had been his goal. Surely, if he fed some random orphan, he couldn't be _that_ bad, right?

Feeling brave, he mounted the last few steps and sat on the top one beside the man. He hesitantly reached for the bowl of noodles and took it when the man made no move to stop him.

"I thought it was about time we formally met."

Morro glanced shyly at the man as he stuffed a forkful of noodles in his mouth.

"What's your name, little one?"

Morro looked away. He had used up all his bravery on getting himself to sit here, and suddenly sharing information as essential to him as his name seemed like too great a task.

But, the man only chuckled. "You're very wise. A name is a very precious thing, and not something to be given away lightly." He held his hand out. "I'm Wu."

Morro balked. "But you just said-" He cut himself off, realizing he had broken his unofficial vow of silence. Ploughing ahead, he began again. "But, you just said you shouldn't give your name away."

Wu laughed again. "Ah, yes, but I trust you with it, little one. I think you will take good care of it, won't you?"

Not fully understanding what they were talking about but deciding he liked it very much, Morro nodded. Seeing that Wu's hand was still extended, he reached out his own small hand and grasped the much larger one, giving it a little shake.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Wu said. Morro looked away bashfully and stuffed more noodles in his mouth. "I don't get very many visitors up here. Now that my brother's gone, the monastery seems so empty."

Morro chewed thoughtfully, pondering this newest piece of information. When Wu didn't say anything else, the orphan panicked, not wanting to let the conversation trail off into awkward silence. Swallowing painfully before he was fully finished chewing, he offered, "I don't have a brother. Is it… do you like it?"

Morro cursed his severely underdeveloped social skills, but Wu only smiled. "Well, I don't have what one could call a normal relationship with my brother. He is a… difficult person to get along with." Wu sighed. "We also had an argument right before he left."

Morro slurped up a noodle, intrigued by the story. "About what?"

"He left to train under a very bad man. I tried to convince him not to go, but he would not listen to reason," Wu sighed again, shaking his head. "But, I don't mean to bore you with my problems. They are of no concern of yours."

Morro pressed his lips together, stirring the few noodles in his bowl absentmindedly. "Sorry about your brother. But, you know, maybe he had to go off on his own. It's kind of better if you're alone; that way, if it turns out you were wrong, there's no one there to say 'I told you so.'"

Wu quirked his lips, and Morro thought he was trying to stop himself from laughing at him. But not laughing in a mocking way, like the big kids did when they decided to chase him just to scare him. Laughing in like a… friendly way. "I will say it again, you are very wise, little one."

Morro ducked his head to hide the immensely pleased smile on his face at the compliment.

Wu continued. "Either way, seeing that he's gone now, I find myself getting very lonely up here." He smiled down at the orphan. "Would you do me the honor of being my friend, little one? How about we trade food for conversation so that I don't get so terribly bored with no one to talk to? Deal?"

Morro gaped up at him. A meal every day and all he had to do was _talk_ to the guy? Besides, it wasn't even a chore; he _liked_ talking to Wu, especially since Wu actually seemed interested in what he had to say, rather than Greg and Craig who only listened when he was telling them what to do.

They would be friends.

Realizing he had let a long silence pass, Morro nodded rapidly to make up for his hesitation, as if afraid the opportunity had slipped through his fingers. "Deal."

"Wonderful!" Wu grinned, and Morro found himself grinning back. "What would you like to eat tomorrow? I'm sorry, I've just been guessing at what you like these past few days."

Morro looked down at the now empty bowl before holding it out to the man. "Can you make these again? They were really good."

Wu nodded. "Of course. I will be waiting here for you at the same time tomorrow."

Morro stood, getting ready to bound down the steps… when he remembered something. Turning back to Wu, he directed his gaze to the ground and scuffed his foot against the step.

"Um… thank you."

He couldn't remember the last time he had said it.

"No, little one. Thank you."

Morro couldn't stop smiling as he all but skipped down the stairs (boys didn't skip, so he wasn't skipping. He was running, just in a kind of… skippy way.) That is, until he noticed a weird feeling in his stomach, some foreign sensation that spread throughout his belly. For a split second, he was terrified that Wu really had been evil the whole time and had poisoned the noodles, and he was going to die at any second…

Then, he realized what the feeling was, and he laughed.

He hadn't stopped laughing by the time he reached Greg and Craig, and they seemed to be off put by his chipper demeanor.

"What are you laughing for?" Craig snapped, obviously in a mood as bad as Morro's was good.

Morro placed a hand on his belly, still laughing out of awe, because for the first time in his life he could say...

"I'm _full_."

* * *

 **So, let me know what you guys think! :D**

 **The next chapter will be out on Thursday! :D**


	2. Tea and Scrolls and Soap

**I am FINISHED with all of my exams! Not sure how I did on them, but I am FREEEEEEEEEEE!**

 **Ahem. Anyway, thank you to ThePowerOfOats, ABCSKW123-IX, RPM Shadow, RandomDragon2.0, Cerenda, WindNinja333, StoriesAreMagic, KyraPlays, Star, Guest, TheYellowNinja, PrairieSkies, LeUltimateNerd, Peanut2196, Breeze015, ILoveCheetos, and FirstFandomFangirl for reviewing! I was really not expecting such a positive response, so I'm soooo happy you guys like this story so far!**

 **I will be replying to reviews shortly after posting this :D**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **Star: Haha, yay! I'm so happy you thought it was perfect! :D I hope you like this chapter too! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Guest: Thank you so much! I'm glad you thought their meeting was realistic enough :D Thanks for reviewing!**

 **TheYellowNinja: I looooove Morro, especially since writing Lost Soul and Broken Circle! I'm so happy you like their relationship so far! And, the little elemental connection Morro felt. I definitely agree that the elemental masters feel a certain connection to their element :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

Talking to Wu became the highlight of Morro's day. Every afternoon, Wu would be waiting for him at the top of the steps with a hot meal, and every afternoon, Morro sprinted up those steps and sat beside him, eager for whatever story Wu was going to tell him next.

He learned that Wu's brother's name was Garmadon (which Morro made sure to tell him sounded _awesome_ ), and they were masters of "Spinjitzu." Morro accused him of making up the word, but Wu insisted that it was a very real thing. He learned that Wu wanted to start a school and was looking for students.

Morro didn't like to talk about the school. The thought of Wu spending time with other kids made his stomach feel funny.

Morro tried to avoid talking about himself whenever possible, because he could tell it made Wu sad. Whereas he had been elated at finding a place to sleep in a small alcove under the bridge that mostly protected him from the rain, Wu had seemed upset. Whereas he had (mostly) gotten over the sting of calling himself an orphan, Wu looked down every time he mentioned the word.

He also avoided telling Wu his name. He couldn't put his finger on exactly why the task seemed so daunting. Maybe it was because he knew _it_ , this weird little thing they had created, wouldn't last, that it was only a matter of time before Wu stopped showing up- or worse, told him to get lost.

If Morro didn't give his name away, then they would still be strangers and it wouldn't hurt so much when that day came.

"Are you alright, little one?"

(And, okay, maybe he liked it a tiny bit when Wu called him "little one," even though he wasn't little.)

Wu peered down at him in concern. "Not a fan of fish?"

"No, no, it's good!" Morro insisted (after all the saying was beggars can't be choosers and he was _literally_ a beggar.) "I just- I don't know. I don't feel too good today."

Morro squeaked when he felt a hand on his forehead.

No one had ever touched his forehead before.

He looked up at Wu with wide eyes. His hand was huge and cool against his skin, and only then did Morro realize how uncomfortably warm he felt all over.

"You have a fever," Wu informed him, eyebrows drawn together in concern. "Perhaps I should take you to the clinic-"

"No!" Morro shouted- because clinics meant doctors which meant questions which meant police which meant _orphanage_ , one of the only places worse than the alleyways he called home.

Seeing Wu's startled expression and realizing how panicked he had come across though, he scrambled to continue. "I mean, I'm fine! I've been sick tons of times before. Tomorrow, I'll be one hundred percent, no problem!"

* * *

Morro wasn't one hundred percent. He figured he was hovering somewhere around forty percent- _maybe._

He'd thrown up the night before, and he woke up feeling so hot and sweaty he hadn't wanted to move. Greg had poked him with a stick to see if he was dead, and the little whimper that had snuck past his lips was the only thing that stopped him from being thrown into an unmarked grave.

The staircase had seemed especially tall today, but Morro had forced himself to climb step after impossible step. He didn't want Wu to think he had stopped coming and so stop waiting for him every day.

(And, maybe he was being a little dramatic, but if was going to die- and he certainly felt like he was going to die- then he wanted to say goodbye to the one person who had been nice to him.)

He regretted the decision by the time he made it to the top though. His breath was coming in short gasps, sweat was pouring off his face, and he kind of felt like he needed to throw up all of the nothing he had eaten that morning.

He looked up when he heard a gasp.

"Little one!" Wu exclaimed.

Morro was just about to smile, brush off the concern like he had the day before… but then the world tilted sickeningly and he saw the ground rushing up to meet him-

Wu caught him.

Caught him, held him in his arms, hugged him close to his chest- and Morro was just so confused because rule number one said _trust no one_ , and yet he had never… felt… so…

Safe.

"You're burning up!" Wu announced, standing up with Morro in his arms.

Morro wriggled in his grasp. He shouldn't want to sleep in this stranger's arms. He shouldn't want to snuggle into this stranger's chest. He should deal with it on his own because he had always dealt with it on his own, and rule number one was _trust no one_ …

But, Wu didn't let him go.

"I promise I will not harm you."

Morro could just make out Wu's kind eyes crinkled with worry, and over his shoulder, the gates slamming shut…

He couldn't fight it any longer as the world around him disappeared, plunging him into blackness.

* * *

Time passed strangely for Morro. Sometimes he could have sworn he had closed his eyes for only a second, and yet when he opened them again the sun had dropped so low in the sky, it was almost dark. Other times, he dreamt that hours or days passed, and yet when blinked he was right back where he had been before.

But some things were always the same. He was always in a bed. A _bed_. He was in a real bed with a real blanket and a real pillow and it was like sleeping on a cloud it was all so soft and warm…

And Wu. Wu was always there.

He woke up to something cold and wet on his face, and he whined, pushing it away.

"Please, little one, we must bring your fever down."

Morro opened his eyes a slit to see Wu leaning over him. The icy washcloth brushed over his forehead with a feather light touch.

Wu gasped softly when he noticed Morro watching him, then smiled gently. "Welcome back to the land of the living, little one. Now that you're awake, you need to eat something."

"No…," Morro moaned, shaking his head lethargically. For the first time in his life, he was refusing food. He knew he would regret it later when he was starving near to death again, but right now his poor stomach just couldn't take it.

"Yes," Wu insisted. Grabbing his upper arms- gently, so gently- he pulled Morro up into a sitting position so he was leaning against the headboard.

Morro could barely keep his head upright. He felt the bed dip as Wu sat beside him on the mattress, wrapping an arm around him to help him sit up.

Sluggishly, he shoveled spoonful after spoonful of the broth into his mouth, more to please Wu than to sate his own hunger. It did little to calm his roiling stomach, but the warmth of Wu's muscular arm around his shoulders and the gentle encouragement his older friend was offering him was…

A sudden sense of _wrongness_ hit Morro so hard in the stomach, he dropped the spoon into the bowl with a _plop_. Here he was, in a bed with a pillow- a real bed with a real pillow- in a room in a _house_ with someone who maybe a little bit cared about him and it was wrong, wrong, wrong, it was all _wrong_ because it felt _right_ but he was just some orphan that didn't belong here like this…

Morro tried to scramble past Wu to lean over the bed before he puked, but he didn't quite make it and most of the vomit ended up in his lap and- to his horror- on Wu.

"I'm sorry," he gasped between coughing and retching, all while keeping his hand to his mouth and trying to get out of the bed and cursing himself for ruining, ruining, _ruining_ the one good thing in his life even though he didn't deserve it in the first place… "I'm-I'm sorry, I'm _sorry,_ I'm-"

Finally freeing himself from the sheet prison, he tried to run toward the bedroom door- when he felt Wu grab his arm.

"It's alright! It's alright, little one!"

Morro stared at him in open fear and confusion. "But-But I…"

"I suppose I should have listened to my wise, little friend when you said you were not ready to eat," Wu admitted, chuckling.

Morro was dumbfounded.

"Let's get you out of those clothes," Wu said, standing.

Morro grimaced as he looked down at his vomit covered outfit. Quietly, he said, "I don't have anything else."

"You know I'm starting a school," Wu pointed out, gingerly resting his hand on Morro's shoulder as if not sure the child would allow him to keep it there. "I've bought a variety of children's clothes. I'm sure we can find something that fits you. And then you can sleep in my bed, at least until I get this cleaned up."

Morro stared up at Wu with wide eyes.

New, _clean_ clothes? He wasn't sure the Spinjitzu master knew what a luxury something like that was on the street. Morro's shorts had been _pants_ when he'd first stolen them, and his shirt was almost threadbare.

And, Wu was offering his _own bed_ to some street rat that had just puked on him?

Morro stood stock still as Wu ambled toward the door, pulling it open. "Stay here, little one, while I go-"

"Morro!"

Wu started, turning back around to the little, blushing orphan with a quizzical look on his face.

"My name is Morro," he said quietly, scuffing the carpet with his foot. "I, uh, just thought you should know."

When he chanced a glance back up at Wu, the blonde man was beaming at him. "Thank you very much for sharing. You have a lovely name, Morro."

Really? Morro always thought it was kind of ugly: a little bit like "tomorrow" but not enough to make it cool. It was also uncommon, so when he told people, he usually had to pronounce it for them several times before they could repeat it correctly, commonly followed by a "wow, that's _weird_!"

But, Wu had smiled at him and said it was _lovely_ …

They barely spoke after that as Wu found him some clothes and Morro reverently pulled on the crisp, new outfit that smelled like soap- _soap_!- and then laid down in Wu's huge bed that smelled just like him: tea and old paper. Morro decided that he liked it.

"I'll be back to check on you soon, Morro," Wu reassured as he headed toward the bedroom door.

Morro could feel his eyes falling shut with exhaustion, but still he called out, "Wu?"

"Yes?"

"If you…" he pulled the blanket up to half hide his face in a poor attempt to escape the mortification that was about to follow. "It's okay if you, uh, still want to call me 'little one.' Sometimes."

Wu chuckled. "Of course! I wasn't ready to give up my nickname for you quite yet." He began to pull the bedroom door shut. "Sleep well, little one."

Morro grinned, deeply inhaling the scent of tea and scrolls and soap once more before falling asleep.

* * *

 **I hope you guys liked it! I'll be replying to the reviews from last chapter pretty quick after posting this :D**

 **Next update will be Monday! :D**


	3. Living in the Dark

**Eeeehhhh, close enough to Monday, right? XD**

 **Special thanks to CHEESEPUFF fg, PollyPlummer23, RandomDragon2.0, KyraPlays, DawnNinja, Rachel Spirit, WindNinja333, LeUltimateNerd, NinjagoGeek4EVER, Spottedfrost7, Cerenda, FirstFandomGirl, Peanut219, RPM Shadow, StoriesAreMagic, TheYellowNinja, Star, VoltageArt, Guest, literallymedusa, ABCSKW123-IX, and Blue for reviewing! I really cannot believe how much love this story has gotten! Thank you so much, everyone!**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **TheYellowNinja: It makes me SO SO SO happy to know that you're excited for my updates! I value each and every one of your reviews :D Morro struggles so much with trusting people :'( Thanks and good luck on your exam! I know you'll do great! :D :D :D**

 **Star: Morro is definitely jealous XD I'm so glad you liked that little detail about Wu's nickname for Morro :3 Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **VoltageArt: Wu is so patient and so caring, but Morro is so scared of trusting people :'( Unfortunately, we will not be focusing much on Morro's backstory, except for the fact that he does not remember his parents whatsoever :( I hope you still enjoy the rest of the story! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Guest: Aw, I hope you get better soon! But, I hope this story at least helps you get through your sickness XD I love sick fics too XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **literallymedusa: Haha, I'm so glad you think it's cute, but please don't get a headache on my account XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Blue: Literal tears?! That makes me so happy XD Morro's never had anybody care for him like Wu does :'( "Utterly perfect?!" You are WAAAY too kind! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D  
**

* * *

Morro woke up only when he hit the ground- _hard_ \- knocking all the wind out of him. Somehow, he still managed to leap back onto the bed, yanking the covers completely over his head so he would be perfectly safe from any and all monsters in his little blanket cocoon.

He was in his- _the_ , he corrected himself, _the_ room in the monastery. After several days of bedrest, he had almost fully recovered from his illness- though apparently the fever dreams had stayed with him. Morro gasped for air and tried to still his pounding heart as the nightmare continued to torment his waking mind.

The worst part was he couldn't even remember what was so scary about it: all he could see in his mind's eye was darkness, surrounding him, closing in on him…

And, now here he was, shaking like a leaf with both hands clamped over his ears and eyes shut tight as he tried, tried, _tried_ to slow his breathing…

He couldn't do this. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if he stayed here, he would die, whether it was via invisible monster or heart attack, whichever came first.

Morro started when a thought occurred to him.

Wu always made him feel safe.

Taking up his blanket as a sort of mobile shield, he dashed out of his monster-infested room but slowed down as he entered the hallway, inexplicably afraid of waking Wu, despite that being his mission in the first place.

His fist was an inch away from Wu's bedroom door- when he stopped.

 _What are you_ doing _?_ He demanded of himself, already backing away. _He's already given you more than you deserve and you want to wake him up in the middle of the night because you're a baby that doesn't want to be alone._

 _News flash, Morro: you're_ always _alone._

Morro shut his eyes tight again, hearing that statement play over and over again in his mind until it was so loud he couldn't shut it out.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he skulked back down the hallway toward his _\- the, the, the_ , toward _the_ bedroom and burrowed back into his blanket fortress, determined to wait for morning on his own.

It was a long night.

* * *

"Morro?"

Morro snorted awake- and immediately started thrashing about in a panic when he felt all his limbs constricted- _trapped, trapped, trapped_ -

Wu pulled the blanket off of him, peering down at him with an amused smirk. "Comfy?"

Morro, finally recognizing his "constraints" to be the blanket walls he had painstakingly built around himself, blushed and nodded, sitting up as Wu sat on the edge of the mattress.

"How are you feeling today?" The Spinjitzu master asked him, touching his forehead.

Morro hesitated. He was feeling _a lot_ better actually, and he hadn't felt like throwing up again in over two days.

But, that was the thing. When he got better, he would have to leave.

Finally, he settled on a noncommittal "Good."

Wu frowned. "Still a tad warm." He removed his hand, sitting back a little so he could look at Morro properly. "I need to run down to the village to pick up a few things. Do you think you'll be alright here alone until I get back?"

 _Alone_?

"Can I come with you?" He asked quickly, hoping he didn't come across sounding too needy.

Wu's eyebrows shot up. "Are you sure you're up for it?"

Morro hesitated once again. Agreeing would only convince Wu that he was recovering and thus speed up the approach of his inevitable departure from the monastery.

But, he couldn't stay there alone, even if it was light outside.

He bobbed his head. "Yep!"

Wu rubbed his chin, pondering this. "I suppose I would feel more comfortable being able to watch you…," Eventually, he nodded. "Alright. But, the instant you feel tired or sick again, say the word and we'll turn around, okay?"

And that's how Morro found himself walking through the village with Wu by his side.

It was… odd, to say the least. First of all, he had never seen Wu in any place other than the monastery, so watching him actually interact with people against a cityscape backdrop was nothing short of jarring.

It was also odd to be walking his same old haunts with someone else. Not just walking beside someone who happened to be going the same way as him, but _with_ someone else.

"Alright, Morro," Wu addressed him as they came to a stop in front of a store. Morro couldn't read the sign, but he knew from experience that it was a tea shop- so _of course_ they were stopping here. "I need to buy some tea that will help purge this sickness from your body. Wait right here, and don't move, okay?"

"Okay!" Morro chirped, not really wanting to go into the tea shop anyway (especially considering the owner had chased him with a baseball bat once, but that was a different story.)

Wu smiled at him, and Morro stored that one with all of the other special smiles he had received in the span of a few days. The Spinjitzu master went into the store, causing the little bell above the door to jingle.

"Oh, look who's decided to grace us poor little street rats with his presence once again?"

Morro groaned, turning to face the two older kids that had apparently been watching him from the alley. Trevor and Matthew were a whopping thirteen years old, and it seemed like they had nothing better to do than torment the younger kids.

"What do you want, Trevor?" Morro snapped. (Matthew didn't say much, but his quiet demeanor made him no less cruel when it came to beatings.)

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are we not allowed to talk you anymore? Too good for us now?" Trevor taunted, placing his hands on his hips.

Morro looked down at himself. He was wearing clean clothes that actually fit well, and after taking a proper bath for the first time in… well, _ever,_ he found his skin was actually a shade lighter than he'd thought it was. He was annoyed at Trevor for mocking him for these new, precious things, but a little part of him found he might have said the same thing had Greg and Craig showed up looking like this.

"We thought you were dead," Trevor continued mock-regretfully. "Didn't realize you'd just become a daddy's boy."

Morro knew he should have been more offended- but his mind was reeling. _Dad_? Wu wasn't his dad. Sure, he took care of him when he was sick and fed him and clothed him and smiled at him and made him feel the tiniest bit special after feeling distinctly _un_ special his entire life, but that didn't make him his _dad_.

Right?

"He's not my dad," Morro muttered, now wishing the two older boys would just leave him alone.

"Oh, please. We saw the way you looked at him. You think he actually _cares_ about you."

Morro looked up sharply. "He _does_!"

Trevor flicked him in the forehead, and Morro cried out. Trevor laughed, towering over the younger boy while Matthew stood by, watching silently as always.

"Guys like that help kids like us to stroke their own egos," Trevor explained condescendingly as Morro glared up at him and rubbed his forehead. "You're not his son. You're a _pet._ And, when you become too much of a problem, he's going to kick you out like the stray dog you are."

"Shut _up_!" Morro shouted, launching himself at Trevor and pounding him with his fists.

Despite having the element of surprise, the two older boys overwhelmed him in seconds, kicking and punching him until it was all he could do to throw his arms over his head to try to protect himself from their blows. He gasped when Matthew grabbed him and slammed his face into the ground, warm, sticky blood immediately gushing out of his nose.

He heard fabric tearing- and then _laughter_ \- as they grabbed his new, clean shirt that still smelled like soap and tore it- on _purpose_ \- and Morro knew it was his fault for thinking he could have ever had anything _good_ in his life-

"Morro!"

Trevor and Matthew, apparently only brave enough to gang up on eight year olds, bolted the moment Wu appeared.

Morro sighed in relief- then stiffened in shame when Wu gingerly picked him up off the ground and set him in a standing position so he could survey his body for injuries.

"Are you alright?" Wu asked him worriedly. "Oh dear…," he mumbled, touching either side of Morro's face and tilting his head this way and that to determine if his nose was broken.

 _You're just a_ pet.

Morro was shocked and horrified to find that angry tears sprung to his eyes at the memory of those cruel words. He hadn't cried in… He couldn't even _remember_ the last time he had cried- if you lived on the streets, you forgot how to cry real quick- and he wasn't going to start now. He blinked the tears away even as he fingered the rips in his now bloody shirt.

"They're just _jerks_!" He yelled, wiping his face with the back of his hand so blood wouldn't leak into his mouth. "They're just- they're just _jerks_! If I was bigger, I'd make them pay! I'd make them sorry then!"

"Morro," Wu said softly as he pulled a napkin out of his pocket and started dabbing at the orphan's bloody face. "They deserve justice, but it will not be delivered by your hand. Dwelling on past wrongs hurts no one but yourself."

Morro looked down, ashamed all over again.

"That being said…," Wu led in. "I could teach you how to defend yourself."

Morro's eyes went wide. "H-huh?"

"My school," Wu clarified, sitting back on his heels and meeting Morro's eyes with a dead serious gaze. "Where I will teach martial arts to children. You could learn to defend yourself- and others, should the need arise."

Spending day after day with Wu, learning how to _fight_ , learning how to be good at something, good _for_ something…

Morro shook his head, reluctantly erasing the fantasy image from his mind. "I… can't. It takes me all day to find food usually, and I've probably lost my sleeping spot since I've been gone so long. There's no time. Besides, I don't have any money."

Wu frowned. "No, I meant… You live at the monastery with me."

Morro gaped.

"I've quite enjoyed your company," Wu continued, smiling… _genuinely._ "And, I would feel much better knowing you wouldn't get hurt like this ever again."

 _I've quite enjoyed your company._

 _You're not his son._

 _And, I would feel much better knowing you wouldn't get hurt like this ever again._

 _You're just a_ pet.

"I… don't know," he whispered. "Can I think about it?"

Wu smiled sadly, squeezing his upper arms. "Of course. Let's go get you cleaned up."

* * *

Morro shot up in bed, grabbing his hair and gasping for breath. Once again, the same nightmare had visited him- blackness surrounding him, closing in on him, crushing all the air out of his lungs...

It was almost instinct. He was out of bed and halfway to Wu's bedroom before he realized what he was doing and stopped dead in his tracks.

 _You're not his son. You're just a_ pet.

And, Morro realized he was kidding himself. Taking a bath and putting on clean clothes didn't make him anything more than the street rat that he was. Getting a few smiles from a nice guy didn't make him anything more than the stray dog that he was.

He turned on his heel, but he wasn't going back to his room because it _wasn't_ his room. He had to get out of here, out of the monastery, away from Wu, because none of this was his, _none_ of it was his, and he didn't belong here like this so he had to leave before it became too hard-

A figure suddenly appeared in his path, and he screamed and covered his face.

"Morro! I didn't mean to scare you!"

After confirming that, yes, his heart was somehow still beating, he moved his hands ever so slightly and peered up at Wu standing at the mouth of the hallway with tea cup in hand.

"Care to join me for a cup of tea?"

And that's how Morro found himself at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of tea that Wu had let him put a lot of honey in to make it sweeter at three o'clock in the morning (because, really, how was he supposed to say no to that?)

He didn't tell Wu that he'd been trying to run away, but he thought the wise Spinjitzu master knew anyway.

"So, this is going to make me feel completely better?" Morro asked, peering down at the pale brown liquid with a skeptical look on his face.

"Well… in a way. This particular type of tea is designed to keep nightmares away."

Morro jumped, blinking up at Wu who was smiling gently back at him.

"You… knew?"

Wu nodded. "Yes. And, I find that talking about one's nightmares usually make them seem less scary."

Morro huffed frustratedly. "There isn't anything to talk about it. It's just… _darkness_. But, I don't get it, because I'm not even afraid of the dark. I basically _live_ in the dark."

"Maybe that is what you are trying to tell yourself," Wu suggested softly, placing his hand on Morro's shoulder. "Maybe you are tired of living in the dark."

Morro looked down, biting his lip.

"I don't know how else to say it, Morro," Wu continued without removing his hand. "You don't have to be alone anymore."

Morro looked up into those wise, kind, always so kind eyes crinkling with affection…

 _News flash, Morro: you're_ always _alone._

Morro shook the hand off his shoulder, standing up so suddenly that the chair scraped against the floor. "I-I have to go."

Wu stood as well. "Morro, I'm sorry. Please don't leave."

"No, I- this isn't right. I don't belong here," Morro explained haltingly, taking a step back. "Just- Just leave me alone!"

"Little one-"

" _Stop it!"_ Morro screamed, searching about in his panic for something, _anything_ \- when he spotted the teapot sitting on the edge of the table. Almost without realizing what he was doing, he lunged for the teapot and shoved it off the table. It immediately shattered into a million tiny pieces on the floor.

Morro stared down at the former teapot, not quite believing what he had just done. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wu move toward him, and he squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the slap or punch that was sure to follow, and then he'd _have_ to leave-

He felt large, calloused hands on his shoulders. His eyes flew open and he saw Wu kneeling in front of him so they were at eye level.

He didn't look angry.

He looked _worried._

"You don't have to be alone anymore," Wu repeated very softly.

Morro stared.

Even after he'd broken the teapot.

Even after he'd broken the teapot.

Wu sighed, "Morro-"

Morro hugged him.

Threw his arms around Wu's neck and squeezed as tight as he could and closed his eyes and sniffled and shook as he tried not to cry (because he hadn't cried in eight years, because you couldn't cry, not on the streets) and he just hoped Wu wouldn't push him away…

He felt Wu's arms wrap around him, pulling him close.

"You don't have to be alone anymore."

Morro gasped as big, fat tears cascaded down his face- so uncommon and unwanted, it was as if they were burning his skin. But, Wu only held him tighter, rubbing soothing circles into his back. So Morro let himself cry for the first time in his entire life, burying his face in Wu's shirt to try to stifle the sobs.

Morro lost track of time, but he figured they must have sat there for hours. Eventually, he found himself sagging against Wu, the back to back restless nights, sickness, and beating he took earlier all slamming into his small body at once and making him feel like he was going to pass out. He blinked-

And suddenly he was back in the- _his_ room. Wu was setting him down on the bed, but Morro tightened his grip on the man's shirt, terrified of the nightmare returning, of the darkness creeping in, of being _alone_.

Wu obediently sat beside him on the bed, like he had so many days ago when he was helping Morro eat. "I will stay until you fall asleep, if that is what you wish."

Morro nodded against the pillow, eyes already drifting shut once again. His words came out garbled and slurred, but he still thought he managed to say, "I want to stay. I want to learn to fight. I want you to teach me."

Morro couldn't bring himself to open his eyes again, but he felt Wu's huge hand on his head, smoothing down his hair.

"Nothing would make me happier, little one."

* * *

 **Yay, Morro is officially Wu's student! And next chapter, a certain prophecy may or may not be mentioned... ;D**

 **I hope you guys liked it! Next update is Thursday!**


	4. The Green Ninja

**Thank you, everyone, for reading! i've really loved writing this story! :D**

 **(I know, I know, I'm always early with these updates. Sue me.)**

 **Special thanks to: NinjagoGeek4EVER, CHEESEPUFF fg, WindNinja333, KyraPlays, FirstFandomFangirl, RandomDragon2.0, LeUltimateNerd, Cerenda, RPM Shadow, Peanut2196, ABCSKW123-IX, Star, TheYellowNinja, and literallymedusa for reviewing! I love you guys! :D**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **Star: Those kids were definitely jerks :/ But, I'm glad you thought it was cute! :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: I love their dynamic so much (obviously XD) :3 I definitely think of them as father/son :3 (Which makes what's coming all the more painful :'() Wu is so wise; of course he already knows about Morro's nightmares XD I'm glad you like m review replies! i love reading and replying to them! :D :D :D I know you're going to do great on your test, so don't stress about it! This story will be waiting for you when it's over :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **literallymedusa: Haha, I'm glad this story is so sad and adorable! I think that pretty much sums up Morro (plus a dash of evil and arrogance XD) Also, in regards to my reply to your review last chapter, I could have sworn you said "head hurt" but now I realize you said "heart hurt" XD So, if you were confused as to why I said, "don't get a headache" that's why XD Gee, that's embarrassing. Anyway, thanks for reviewing! :D**

* * *

Morro anxiously rolled the pencil between his two small hands, studying Wu's face intently as the Spinjitzu master looked over his paper.

True to his word, Wu- or as Wu insisted Morro called him, _Sensei_ \- had begun to teach him martial arts. They'd started with proper breathing techniques, then stretches, and finally had moved onto tumbling and even basic kicks and punches.

And, Morro loved every second of it.

The moves came easily to him. He couldn't explain how, but it was like his body simply _knew_ what to do, like he had been born, made, _created_ to do this. The wind blowing through his hair when he was executing a move was intoxicating. The elation the split second after landing a flip and _knowing_ you had done it perfectly was addictive.

The pride radiating off of Wu whenever he looked to his sensei for approval was priceless.

And then… there came the _after_ training.

For _some reason_ , Wu seemed convinced that Morro needed to know how to read and write and do simple arithmetic- all the stuff kids Morro's age had learned in school whole eternities ago.

And, it was with these things that Morro struggled.

A lot.

Wu finished reviewing Morro's spelling exercise- and the imminent and _infinite_ corrections were on their way.

"Ugh, I got them wrong again, didn't I?" Morro groaned, pulling the piece of paper back toward him. Pressing down as hard as he could with the pencil, he scratched thick black lines through the _wrong_ words. "I'll do it again. Give the words to me again, and I'll spell them right this time."

Morro looked up when Wu placed his hand over the boy's to still his scribbling. "Morro, there is no need to get frustrated. You were very close that time."

"Close doesn't count for nothing," Morro muttered, glaring down at the traitorous paper whose only apparent purpose in life was to expose all of his many flaws. "Say them again, and I'll sound them out better this time."

Wu sighed. "I think that's enough for today."

Morro gaped in horror, clutching the pencil almost protectively to his chest. "No, I promise I'll get it! If we just keep going-"

Wu chuckled, patting his hand. "You have to let your mind rest, Morro. It's admirable that you don't want to give up, but if you never take a step back, you'll lose sight of the bigger picture."

Morro frowned. Taking a break seemed counterintuitive to completing a task.

"I know!" Wu smiled down at him. "Let's do something fun!"

Morro brightened. "Like training?"

Wu laughed again, but for the life of him Morro could not find what the Spinjitzu master found quite so hilarious about him. "Something _besides_ training." The Spinjitzu master stood, pulling Morro up with him. "You really have a one track mind, don't you?"

Morro didn't know what that meant, but he decided it was probably a good thing.

* * *

"What am I supposed to do with _this_?"

Morro narrowed his eyes at the… _toy? Weapon?_ It was some brittle wood sticks with paper stretched over them, and Morro could not find a purpose for it no matter how hard he tried.

"It's a kite," Wu explained. "You-"

Suddenly, they both heard a shrill whistle in the distance.

"The tea!" Wu exclaimed, (because apparently they couldn't do something fun without _tea_ in Wu's opinion.) He was already hurrying back into the monastery, but over his shoulder, he said, "Wait right there! I'll explain in a moment!"

Morro dropped his gaze back to the thing in his hands. A _kite?_ What in the world was _that_?

Morro huffed. Apparently Wu enjoyed seeing him fail at impossible tasks. He threw the kite on the ground.

Then squeaked and ran after it when it started blowing away.

Just managing to snag the kite before it flew off the mountain entirely, Morro brought it back toward the relative safety of the monastery's gates, staring at it in renewed wonder.

Keeping a firm grip on either side, Morro held the kite high above his head, watching as the wind made the thin paper arch in and out depending on the direction of the breeze.

He smirked. Wind, huh? He wondered if he could still do it…

Glancing warily at the gates, Morro took one hand off the kite and held the other out in front of him, palm up. He concentrated intensely, hoping he hadn't lost it…

A little puff of air shot out of his hand, tickling his face. He sighed in relief. Once he had discovered that the other kids couldn't make the air move in the same way he could, he had quickly hidden the ability and seldom used it, lest he get labeled as a pariah.

Still, he was glad he hadn't lost it.

Directing the wind at the kite now, he watched as the little toy fluttered merrily in response. Taking a chance, he let go of the kite altogether. He almost blew it away but managed to guide it back with a stream of air from his other hand and… actually managed to keep it there.

As the kite danced and bobbed in the air, he could see why other kids thought this was fun. How on earth they were supposed to do it without wind powers on the other hand was an entirely different-

"M-Morro?"

Morro started, instantly stopping the air pouring forth from his hands and hiding the offending appendages behind his back. The kite plummeted to the ground with a dull thud.

Cringing, he turned around to see Wu staring at him in utter shock. "What did you… what you were doing just now…"

"Nothing!" Morro shouted, cursing himself over and over again in his head for forgetting himself. Now that Wu knew he was a freak, there was no way he would want Morro around. He might even take it upon himself to rid Ninjago of this _curse_ … "I'm sorry! Please don't- I didn't-"

"No, no, you don't have anything to be sorry for!" Wu exclaimed, rushing over to him. He was basically bouncing with excitement, but Morro couldn't let the fear go quite yet.

Wu reached for Morro's arms, gently moving his hands out from behind his back. He took both of Morro's hands in his own, peering down at them in wonder. Morro stared back at him in bewilderment.

"Morro, you have a gift!"

The orphan raised an eyebrow, not quite sure how to respond. "A gift?"

"You are the descendent of an elemental master!" Wu squeezed his hands, grinning at him. "You are Morro, Master of Wind."

A shiver ran up and down Morro's spine.

He'd never been the master of anything.

He'd been called lots of things: "street rat," "waste of space," "stray dog," but never something as beautiful, as grand as _master_. Like he owned something. Like something was finally, finally _his_.

And, descendent meant family. He'd always known the wind claimed him even if no one else did, and now he knew he was right all along. The wind was his family, his home, a link to the people with no faces and no names that he had belonged to once, even if only briefly.

But, Wu wasn't finished.

He released Morro's hands in favor of grasping his shoulders instead. "And, maybe one day…

"The Green Ninja."

Morro caught his breath, seeing some sort of, of… light or other kind of glow in Wu's eyes that had never been there before.

"What's that?" He whispered.

Wu placed his arm around Morro's shoulders, guiding him back inside the monastery. "The Green Ninja is the hero of the prophecy- a prophecy is something foretelling an event that hasn't happened yet but will in the future- that will one day become the greatest ninja of all time and defeat evil in the final battle to save Ninjago."

 _Save Ninjago._

 _Greatest ninja of all time._

 _Hero._

 _The Green Ninja._

"And… you think that's me?" Morro asked, glancing up at Wu hesitantly.

"I can't know for sure. Not yet," Wu explained. "But, you've excelled in your training, Morro, growing leaps and bounds in a matter of weeks! And, now the fact that you're an elemental master…"

Morro was quiet as they entered the kitchen, processing all of this information. He waited until Wu had poured both cups of tea and sat down beside him before speaking.

"The Green Ninja… So, I could save Ninjago? I could be a… great hero?"

Wu smiled. "Yes."

There was that same kind of light in his eyes. And, for all of Wu's kindness, for all of Wu's generosity and patience and whatever amount of affection he had for him, Morro was positive that he had never seen Wu look at him like he was now.

And, it was because of the Green Ninja.

"I fear… that my brother may be the evil that is foretold in the prophecy," Wu continued, and Morro's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "And, that is… partially my fault. The Green Ninja will save Garmadon from committing the atrocities that I know he does not want to commit, and in turn, save all of Ninjago."

And, Morro realized what the light in Wu's eyes was when he talked about the Green Ninja.

Hope. The Green Ninja gave Wu hope.

Morro had only ever taken in his life. He stole every day, was taking Wu's charity right now by agreeing to live with him. Good for nothing, the shopkeepers yelled when they chased him off.

But, if Morro could _give_ , inspire that kind of hope, be looked at the way Wu was looking at him right now…

"I want to be the Green Ninja," Morro said firmly, leaning forward in his seat. "I'll train really, really hard, all day, every day. I promise I'll do anything."

Wu grinned, patting Morro's hand again. "That's good, Morro. We will have to train hard to prepare you, but remember that only Destiny can decide."

Morro bit his lip. So, if he wasn't…

"Tomorrow, we will change your training to include honing the use of your elemental power," Wu went on, oblivious to Morro's discomfort.

"Can't we start tonight?" If he was going to make sure that he was the Green Ninja, there's wasn't any time to lose after all.

"If you are the Green Ninja, you will be no less the Green Ninja tomorrow," Wu explained, chuckling. "If you wish, you may practice your meditation tonight, but no more."

Morro immediately hopped off his chair and dashed into the meditation room, leaving his tea untouched.

* * *

Morro lay wide awake in his bed, staring at the dark ceiling.

He'd come to a few realizations while meditating.

What were the odds that the random orphan Wu helped was the descendent of an elemental master? Slim, that was for sure! So, the fact that they had been brought together so perfectly _had_ to be Destiny, pushing him to fulfill the prophecy.

Besides, life had always seemed unfair to Morro. He was orphaned, homeless, starving. He had nothing, and so he _was_ nothing, and what had he done to deserve that?

But, if all that had been building up to this moment… if he had been hungry, dirty, and so terribly lonely his whole life so that he could be brought to Wu at that exact moment…

Destiny was showing him the way. Morro had been nothing all his life so here, now, when Ninjago needed him, he could _become_ something.

Unable to sleep, Morro threw off the blanket and quickly changed into his training clothes. He lit a candle- and stopped when he caught a glimpse of himself in the full length mirror across the room.

He wandered closer to the mirror, studying the boy looking back at him. It was the same old reflection, and Morro's gut reaction was to hate what he saw.

But, it was different. Because _that_ reflection had been Morro, street rat, dirty orphan, stray dog.

 _This_ reflection was Morro, Master of Wind.

"Morro, Master of _Wind_ \- no, no…," Morro whispered aloud, revelling in the way the words rolled off his tongue. "Morro, _Master_ of Wind. Yeah, yeah, that's good."

He paused.

He knew as surely as he knew his own name that Wu would look at him the way he had that afternoon- with hope and pride shining in his eyes- again one day.

"Morro," he whispered, reaching out to touch the reflection he had always shied away from. "The Green Ninja."

* * *

 **Noooo, Morro... :'( :'( :'(**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys liked it! Next chapter will feature a pretty dramatic time skip and will come out on Monday! :D**


	5. Tomorrow

**Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read! I have to admit, this chapter is *probably* my favorite one in the series, so I really hope you guys like to it too! :3**

 **Special thanks to: FirstFandomFangirl, peachy. heart .xin2004, RandomDragon2.0, WindNinja333, LeUltimateNerd, RPM Shadow, KyraPlays, ILoveCheetos, ABCSKW123-IX, Star, TheYellowNinja, literallymedusa, Cerenda, and StoriesAreMagic for reviewing!**

 **Per usual, I will reply to reviews as soon as I post this chapter :D**

 **Star: Thank you so much! Yeah, I always wish they gave us just a *bit* more insight into Morro's past than just those few flashbacks! But, I had to make due with what I had :/ Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: Elated to dread is exactly what I was going for! XD It's torture for us to already know that the prophecy won't come true when Morro and Wu are still blissfully ignorant :'( As I write this, I feel like I TOTALLY get where all of Morro's jealousy and hatred of Lloyd comes from :'( It makes me so happy to know my updates give you hope and happiness! :3 Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **literallymedusa: Haha, yep! We finally encountered the catalyst that began Morro's downward spiral :( As to your prediction, read on XD I'm glad you liked the reveal! I hope you like this chapter as well! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

The kid- Morro forgot his name- pathetically cried out as Morro forced him to the ground and wrenched his arm behind his back.

"Do you yield?" Morro demanded, digging his knee into the kid's spine and keeping him pinned to the courtyard's cobblestones as he yanked on the arm.

His opponent whimpered as Morro increased the pressure on his arm. "No."

"I'm going to break your arm in three seconds unless you give," Morro growled, pulling harder on the appendage. "One… two…"

"Morro!"

Morro started upon hearing Wu call his name in admonishment and immediately released the kid, who gratefully scrambled out from underneath the fourteen year old and fled.

"What?" Morro asked as he stood to face his sensei who was fixing him with a disapproving look. "I wasn't _really_ going to break his arm."

"I certainly hope not," Wu replied, raising an eyebrow at him. "You know you are only to pin or disarm your opponents."

"I know, I know," Morro drawled, stretching his arms. "Just, if I'm going to be the Green Ninja, I need tougher opponents, Sensei. I can't keep going easy on people like this."

Wu looked as if he was about to comment but only sighed instead. "That is not what I came out here to talk to you about. You haven't done any of your chores today."

Morro rolled his eyes. "Sensei, I can't waste my time doing… _pedestrian_ stuff like that. I need to _train_."

"Perhaps you should ask yourself if there are other lessons you could learn from that 'pedestrian stuff.'" Wu countered, crossing his arms. "There is more to being a ninja than training, Morro."

"I've already _learned_ all the lessons!" Morro complained. Wu sighed and walked past him toward the monastery's gates. Night was quickly falling, and so it was time to close the gates. Morro followed, not ready to give up the argument yet. "If we could just do the thing with the Golden Weapons already so I could actually start _being_ the Green Ninja…"

"You're not ready, Morro," Wu stated firmly as he pushed one of the gates closed, Morro mirroring him with the other gate.

"Then, when?" Morro demanded, impatience creeping into his voice. "If you won't give me greater tasks to complete, then-"

Wu gasped, interrupting Morro as he looked down at the village. "The village is under attack!"

Morro jumped, directing his gaze to the town. It was dark, but he could clearly make out raging fires and roiling masses of people either being chased or giving chase. If he listened carefully, he could hear faint screams of terror on the wind.

Morro grinned. This was perfect! This way he could _prove_ to Wu that he was ready to get the formality of the Golden Weapons out of the way and finally, _finally_ put on the green gi.

"Let's-"

Wu placed a hand on his shoulder. Morro raised an eyebrow at his teacher as Wu moved to stand in front of Morro, outside the monastery's gates while Morro stood just inside their walls.

"I will go. You will stay here."

Morro blinked, not quite believing his ears. "Wh-what? But… but you always let me go, Sensei!"

"Perhaps you should have thought of that before you neglected to do your chores," Wu said.

Morro balked. "Wait, are you- are you _grounding_ me?"

"Use this time to ponder the consequences of your actions," Wu confirmed. Taking a hold of the gate's handle, he pulled it shut behind him, leaving Morro standing incredulously just beyond them.

Morro stood there frozen, staring at the shut gates for several long minutes, trying to wrap his brain around what just happened.

Wu had… _grounded_ him? Over what? Over _sweeping_? Over _cleaning_? Wu expected the _Green Ninja_ to waste his time dusting knick knacks? How dare- how _dare_ -

Fuming, Morro turned on his heel, stomping through the courtyard. He seriously considered following Wu anyway. He could see it now- Wu surrounded by ruffians, being held at swordpoint, and then _Morro_ appears, rescuing his _teacher_ in his time of need and proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that-

But, no, Wu hadn't wanted him there. He didn't _deserve_ to be saved by the Green Ninja. Maybe when he came home bruised and beaten, _then_ he'd regret grounding Morro, _then_ he'd be sorry.

Morro clenched his fists as he stomped up to the monastery- but he couldn't go in, not yet. He needed to blow off some steam, to _hit_ something.

Snatching the sword off the weapons rack, he turned his ire onto the training dummy. At first, he tried to go through every sword technique in his head, trying to nail the fluid motions and hit the perfect part of the body every time-

But, then he heard Wu saying, _"Perhaps you should have thought of that before you neglected to do your chores,"_ so, so _condescending,_ so _patronizing_ -

And, suddenly the rage was consuming Morro and he was _hacking_ at the dummy, pouring all of his strength into _destroying_ the mannequin, _obliterating_ it…

When the dummy had been reduced to nothing but a pile of rubble, Morro rested his hands on his knees, gulping in lungfuls of air as he tried to catch his breath.

He grimaced as the red haze dissipated so he could see exactly what he'd done. He should probably clean it up before Wu-

Then again, why should he? It was Wu's fault. Maybe if he was faced with what he'd caused Morro to do, maybe then he'd feel bad, maybe _then_ he'd regret making Morro stay behind…

Morro looked up. Now that he was thinking about it, how long had it been since Wu left? Usually if thugs were terrorizing the village, it took Wu and Morro only a matter of minutes to scare them off. If Wu needed help…

Morro sneered, turning on his heel and stomping into the house. If Wu needed help, he should have let Morro come along.

Morro tried to occupy himself. He tried meditating. It didn't work, because he kept opening his eyes to see if the monastery's gates were opening.

He tried reading, something he found rather hard and unenjoyable and sure to occupy his mind… but it didn't work because he kept straining his ears to listen for the monastery's gates creaking open.

Finally, he decided to just go to bed. Wu probably hoped Morro was waiting up to make sure he made it home okay- so he'd _really_ feel bad when he saw Morro had gone to bed without a care in the world.

It didn't work because he couldn't sleep, but he forced himself to stay in bed rather than get up and check to make sure he hadn't missed Wu come in.

 _Eventually_ , he heard the gates open and close and then someone shuffling about in the main room, and he might or might not have sighed in relief. Panic hit him when he realized Wu might want to speak with him, though. Morro turned on his side and closed his eyes to pretend to be asleep, since he most assuredly did _not_ want to talk to his teacher that had forced him to stay behind that he had _not_ been worried about in the _slightest._

True to his prediction, he heard the door to his room slide open. He hoped beyond hope that Wu would see he was sleeping, close the door and leave... but no such luck. Morro felt the mattress dip as Wu sat on the edge of his bed.

"I know you're awake, Morro."

Barely stifling a groan, Morro yawned a big, fat, fake yawn and stretched his arms, turning onto his back as if he'd just woken up. He could just make out Wu's silhouette framed against the faint light filtering in from the hallway in the otherwise dark room.

"Oh, Sensei! Didn't hear you come in!" Morro greeted enthusiastically, though his voice dripped with sarcasm. "Were you able to handle everything _on your own_ in the village?"

Wu chose not to play along with the charade, instead fixing Morro with a hard stare. "I saw what you did to the training dummy."

Morro rolled his eyes. "It was _training_."

"What it was was a temper tantrum."

Anger and hurt flared simultaneously in Morro's chest, and he sat up, glaring at Wu. "Well, what do you _expect_?! You grounded me like- like- like a _child_!"

"If you continue to act like a child, I will continue to treat you like a child."

Morro recoiled, shocked. " _Sensei_!"

Wu rubbed a tired hand over his face before turning to Morro beseechingly. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you, Morro. Every day, more and more of my students come to me saying that you've hurt them."

 _Tattletales_ , Morro grumbled in his mind, making a note to get revenge later. Aloud, he tried to defend himself. "Sensei, the Green Ninja can't hold back, so I have to make due with these weak opponents. If you think about it, I'm actually doing them a _favor_ by-"

" _Morro_."

Morro immediately shut up. Because Wu had used _that_ tone. He could count on one hand the number of times Wu had used _that_ tone, but it was one of the things that still struck fear into Morro's heart.

(One of the other times he'd heard it was when he cussed like a sailor in front of the younger kids, because he thought it would be funny. He could still taste that bar of soap.)

Wu said very clearly, enunciating each syllable perfectly, "This has to stop."

Morro clenched his fist in the bedsheets. "What has to stop?" He grumbled, still too cowed by _that_ tone to manage eye contact.

"This- this _obsession_ with the Green Ninja!"

Morro looked up sharply. "It's not- It's not an obsession!" Sure, he only thought about it constantly, and every other night he couldn't sleep and trained instead, and every waking moment that wasn't dedicated to training he spent daydreaming about finally putting on the green gi, but it wasn't an _obsession._ "It's Destiny!"

Wu sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. In fact, he almost looked…

 _Disappointed_.

Morro grit his teeth. Wu had no right to be disappointed in him. Save the chores today, he had done everything, _everything_ that had been asked of him. Wu was the first to believe that Morro would become the Green Ninja, had encouraged Morro when he doubted himself, and Wu was choosing _now_ to take it all back? _To teach Morro a lesson or something?_

Wu stood up. "Maybe it is time."

"Time for _what_?" Morro demanded, unable to look up lest Wu see exactly how much that disappointment had stung.

"Time to see if you are the Green Ninja."

Morro's eyes widened, all the hurt and anger flying out of him all at once because _now_ , _now_ , _now_ Wu would see that he really was the Green Ninja and then whatever rift had opened between them could start to close and they could put all this behind them…

Morro swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Can we do it now?"

"No, not now," Wu replied, moving toward the door while Morro slowly pulled the blankets back over his body. "Tomorrow. Tomorrow, hopefully we can put… _this_ to rest."

Morro wanted to argue… but Wu was already angry enough with him, and he didn't want to do anything that might make Wu change his mind.

Obediently, he laid back against the pillow and shut his eyes, though with the excitement bubbling in his stomach, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep.

He heard Wu begin to pull his door shut… then pause, sighing for the nth time that night.

"What happened, little one?"

Morro started at the nickname. It had been _years_ since Wu had called him that. He sat up, ready to say- say what? What was there to be said between them?

But, Wu was already gone, shutting Morro's door and plunging the room into darkness once again.

Morro hesitated, staring at the place where Wu used to be. He almost wanted to jump up, run after his sensei, beg him to tell him what they could do to fix what they had once had…

" _If you continue to act like a child, I will continue to treat you like a child."_

Morro narrowed his eyes at the memory of the slight. He couldn't wait to see Wu's face after the Golden Weapons showed them that Morro was the Green Ninja, had _always_ been the Green Ninja. Then, Wu could apologize and it would be like how it was before.

Morro laid down, closing his eyes once again.

Everything would be better after tomorrow.

* * *

 **I think it's safe to say we all know everything won't be better after tomorrow :'(**

 **Next chapter will be the last chapter in this series: the one time Morro didn't trust Wu :( Update is Thursday! :D**

 **I hope you guys liked the chapter! :D**


	6. The Beginning and the End

**This is the last chapter of Morro's Five Times :( Honestly, from the reviews, I get the sense that this chapter is not what a lot of you guys expected the last chapter to be, but I hope you like it anyway. I still think the previous chapter is my favorite, but this one is a very, very close second. :D**

 **Special thanks to RPM Shadow, WindNinja333, FirstFandomFangirl, RandomDragon2.0, StoriesAreMagic, The Titan's Shadow, LeUltimateNerd, Peanut2196, PraireSkies, ABCSKW123-IX, ILoveCheetos, Cerenda, literallymedusa, Star, TheYellowNinja, and KyraPlays for reviewing! I love you all!**

 **I'm posting this before replying to reviews, b** **ecause I am currently in a place with questionable wifi. I half-expect it to give up on me at any second, so I wanted to go ahead and get this out there. I will reply to reviews as soon as I post this if the wifi holds out XD**

 **Replies to reviews:**

 **literallymedusa: Haha, Morron XD Why couldn't Morro have stayed the perfectly pure eight year old he was? D': I've been obsessed with Morro ever since writing him in Lost Soul and then Broken Circle (honestly, when I was first coming up with Lost Soul, he wasn't even supposed to be that big a part of it, but he wormed his way into being an integral part of the story XD) I definitely wanted to showcase Morro's transformation into ruthlessness and arrogance after being so shy and afraid before D': Haha, I certainly hope this chapter breaks your heart! XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Star: Haha, I'm glad you thought it was sad, but this chapter is... not any happier. Probably less so O_O So, read at your own risk XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: Yep, I definitely wanted to show how Morro's obsession has caused him to become something entirely different from himself :'( Much more like the Morro in the show than the Morro from chapters 1-4 D': I'm glad you like how I tried to show Morro's and Wu's differing feelings about the prophecy (Morro obsessed and Wu maybe realizing where he went wrong and not really going about fixing it in the right way :/) Thank you so much! I hope this chapter makes you sad as well! XD  
**

* * *

Morro knew he was dying.

He cussed as he stumbled, reaching out with one bloody hand to steady himself against the cave wall whilst the other he kept pressed to his stomach to try to keep his intestines from falling out.

He'd avoided _every other_ booby trap in the Caves of Despair. He'd nearly dodged the spikes flying out of the wall too, but the last one, _the last one_ , had sliced him right across the front.

Morro leaned his back against the wall, breathing in and out. He'd tried to keep going, because he could _feel_ it, he could feel that the First Spinjitzu Master's Tomb was just beyond the next corner, just around the next bend… and by the time he realized how serious the wound was, it was too late to turn back.

He was completely and utterly lost in the sprawling corridors of the Caves of Despair.

And he was dying.

A wave of dizziness washed over Morro, and he allowed himself to slide to the floor, leaning against the rock wall and pressing both hands to his stomach as if that would staunch the bleeding.

And, he knew he would not get back up again.

He laughed a bitter, cruel laugh at himself, letting his head fall back against the wall. Wu had warned him, Wu had _warned_ him…

" _Morro, it's just not your Destiny-"_

" _Shut up! I'll prove to you that I'm the Green Ninja! I'll do the one thing you never could. I'll find the First Spinjitzu Master's Tomb."_

" _Morro, that's impossible! To attempt it would be incredibly dangerous-"_

" _That's what a_ coward _would say."_

" _I won't let you-"_

" _You can't tell me what to do! You are not my father!"_

He laughed again, and this time it edged on hysterical. It wasn't like that was the worst thing he had ever done to anybody. He'd broken that girl's arm. Burned down that family's house. He'd left a big, long, beautiful path of destruction behind him in his search for the tomb, and yet the thing that kept coming back to him was…

" _You are not my father!"_

It didn't make any sense really. Wu _wasn't_ his father. Morro had only ever been a _pet_ to him. Wu had made him _believe_ he would be the Green Ninja and then- and _then_ -

Realization hit Morro like a punch to the gut.

Morro had spent most of his life trying to prove that he was, in fact, the Green Ninja, because he knew it, _he knew it in his heart_ to be true, that he was _worthy_ of the mantle.

But, here he was, pathetically crouched in a cave, bleeding out… and dying.

He was dying.

He was _dying_.

And, if he was dying, that meant… that meant…

He wasn't the Green Ninja.

That meant that Wu was going to train _someone else_ , that meant that _someone else_ was going to _take_ what Morro had _earned_ , that meant that Morro had _clawed_ and _scratched_ his way up out of the gutters for _years_ only so that _someone else_ could come along and _steal_ what had _always_ been Morro's…

Morro wasn't meant to become the Green Ninja.

He _**hated**_ the Green Ninja.

 _ **Hated, hated, hated**_ him, he _**hated**_ him, and he _**hated**_ Wu for making him believe…

Morro had been born into this world dirty, pathetic, and completely alone. Wu had made him train, had made him work, had made him _believe_ …

And, it had all been for nothing. He was going out of this world the same way he'd come in: dirty, pathetic, and…

Alone.

" _You are not my father!"_

That phrase came to Morro again as the blackness pushed at the edges of his vision, but his breath was coming in short, little gasps now and he couldn't find it in himself to laugh.

He supposed he should reflect, but honestly, he couldn't care less about the things he'd done. Knocking that guy's teeth out. Pushing that other guy off a building. Cutting that little girl while he'd made the parents watch…

None of it mattered. All of it was for nothing in the end, right?

Morro slumped over so he was laying down, both hands still clutching uselessly at the lethal wound. He thought tears might have escaped, but he was losing consciousness too fast to tell.

Wu would tell him to show remorse for his past actions, something about regretting a wrong being the first step to righting it.

But, Morro didn't regret it. This world had rejected him from the day he was born, so he rejected it and its teachings and its morals in turn.

Morro closed his eyes, his body going numb.

 _Take it back_ , was his last bitter thought. Everything else had already been taken from him, so it was only fitting the world take his life away too. _Take it back. I don't want it anymore._

And with that last act of defiance, Morro died.

* * *

Morro started awake, gasping for breath. He tried to move-

His arm was yanked to a stop. He looked over to see he was chained-

His arm. Something was wrong with his arm. It was growing a faint green color, and it was almost like he could _see through it_ -

"Look, a new one."

Morro's head whipped up to see two hooded, faceless figures leaning over him. But- but, something was wrong with their bodies too. They were both a faint green color, and it was almost as if they were… _intangible._

Behind them was chaos. People in cages or chained to tables like him. He could hear screaming in the distance, and the entire scene was a tie dye mess of dark colors and flashes of bright light like lightning…

"Wh-what did you do to me?" Morro demanded, looking down. He was wearing the same clothes, but he… wasn't… _whole_. "I… I _died_ , I felt myself die-"

"You're a ghost, genius," the figure on the left deadpanned, obviously not moved by Morro's distress in the slightest.

"A _what_?" Morro shrieked, struggling against the chains. He tried to call on his wind power, but the chains must have been made of Vengestone because nothing came. "You-you guys are _crazy_! Where am I?!"

"You're in the Cursed Realm," the one on the right informed him.

"Which means you did some _pretty_ bad things in life," the left one clarified.

"Do you pledge loyalty to the Preeminent?" The other asked him.

Morro balked. He was _just maybe a little bit_ ready to _try_ to reconcile himself with the fact that he was a _ghost_ , and now they were asking him dumb questions like that? "What the heck is the Preeminent?"

"The Preeminent _is_ the Cursed Realm," the right one explained. "We're inside her now. She is the beginning and the end of all of us."

Morro jerked his head back and forth in disbelief. "Okay, I have no idea what's going on here, but I know one thing for sure. I don't belong to _anyone_ , and certainly not to someone called 'The Preeminent.'"

The two… well, _ghosts_ , he supposed, shared a look with each other that Morro did not like one bit.

"He's going to be a challenge." The left one stated, bending down and lifting a bucket in his arms. "Might as well get this over with."

Morro tensed with fear as the ghost tipped the bucket toward him… then laughed when he saw what was inside.

" _Water_? You're going to scare me with water?"

"You'll understand in time," the ghost not holding the bucket said.

Before Morro could demand an explanation, the other ghost poured the water on him-

Pain consumed Morro like a blazing inferno, like a billion fire ants were eating him alive, bit by bit, like every inch of his self was being cut away, like-

* * *

Morro woke up in much the same fashion. Chained to a table, gasping for breath, searching for answers when there were none.

"Oh, look he's back."

Morro glared at the same two ghosts from before. "What did you do-"

"She likes you," one of them interrupted. "You're powerful, cunning, cruel. She wants you to be her champion."

Morro snarled, "I told you, I'm _no one's_ pet."

After all, he'd learned his lesson last time someone had offered to make him a hero.

The other ghost sighed, hefting another bucket in his hands. "This will take a while."

The same agony consumed Morro's entire being, liquid fire burning, ravaging his body until he was begging for it just to _end_ -

* * *

Morro woke up. The same happened again and again and again. They offered, he refused, they killed him. Because that's what was happening to him: they were killing him over and over and over again. The pain was almost more than he could bear, but Morro always refused to let go of his pride, always chose defiance.

That is, until he finally reached an understanding.

He didn't know how many times they had killed him, but it must have been at least fifty. They asked him if he would be the Preeminent's champion. The rejection was right on the tip of his tongue… when he stopped.

Wu had set him on a path to destruction, had made Morro search his entire life to find something that would make him _worthy_ of that life.

He was already worthy in the Preeminent's eyes. She admired what Wu had hated about him. Instead of making him believe he was something he was not, she wanted to reward what he already was.

Wu had ultimately killed Morro.

But, the Preeminent created Morro, over and over again. The Preeminent was always there, putting him back together exactly as he had been, and held in her arms, he could never die.

" _You are not my father!"_

Wu _wasn't_ his father.

The Preeminent was his mother.

The two ghosts shared a look, apparently seeing the epiphany Morro was experiencing in his eyes.

"He's ready."

Morro barely noticed as they unchained him, followed them in a daze as they led him through haunting corridors filled with prisoners and torture and pain…

They led him to a large archway that was pitch black beyond. When the ghosts made no move to enter whatever chamber lay beyond but only waited outside the doorway, Morro knew he was to go in alone.

He passed into the darkness.

The room he entered glowed a soft, pleasant green, similar to the glow of the other ghosts but… different in a way. More whole, more _complete_.

There was a ball of white light in the middle of the room, and suddenly Morro knew with one hundred percent certainty that he was at the center of the Preeminent. He was so awe-struck he almost wanted to cry, but now he knew that to be impossible.

He crept as close as he dared to the ball of light, stopping about a foot away from it. There, he fell to his knees, bowing his head out of respect.

"I am Morro, Master of Wind," he announced, already feeling the Preeminent's approval caressing him, embracing him, taking a hold of him in such a way that he knew she would never abandon him like Wu had.

"And, I pledge my _undying_ allegiance to my mistress." Morro smirked. "The Preeminent."

* * *

 **And that brings "Five Times Morro Trusted Master Wu" to a close :( I'm sorry if you expected more Wu in this chapter, but I thought it would be more powerful if Wu wasn't there because he DIDN'T go after Morro. I tend to believe that if Wu had tracked Morro down and tried to set him back on the right path, maybe Morro wouldn't have gone so... crazy O_O Anyway, that's my opinion :D**

 **Also, Morro's Ninjago wiki page states that he got trapped in some cavern with noxious gas in the Caves of Despair and suffocated, or something to that effect, BUT... I liked this version of his death better :D Sorry to any nitpickers out there XD**

 **And another thing: it states that Morro "committed many atrocities" or something that got him sent to the Cursed Realm. I don't know if that means killing people and they just didn't want to say that in so many words...? So, I left it kind of ambiguous. What I thought was more important was his hatred and lack of remorse rather than the acts themselves (though those were pretty bad as well) especially considering Morro KNEW he was doing bad things and just didn't care. Once again, my opinion :D**

 **With regards to the next Five Times: If you follow Broken Circle, then you know I announced that I would write Zane's next. But... as I was sitting there, trying to be inspired for Zane, Jay snuck in! I've actually already written one of the chapters of Jay's and started another... I'M SORRY, ZANE! I don't mean to keep passing you over! I love you, I promise... D':**

 **ANYWAY, I will be posting "Five Times Jay Cheered Someone Up" soon! Not exactly sure when, since I like to have most, if not all, of the chapters of the Five Times written before I begin posting, but updates will be Mondays and Thursdays like with this one :D**

 **I sincerely hope you guys liked this story, because I loved writing it and sharing it with you all :D Thank you for all the love this story has gotten! :D**


End file.
